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New Orleans Too Sad for Disney?

William Blackburn, a former columnist for the Charlotte Observer, doesnt think much of Disneys choice of setting in the not-yet-released animated movie, The Princess and the Frog. The film is set in1920s New Orleans and tells the story of Princess Tiana, the entertainment companys first African American princess, and how she mistakenly turns herself into a frog. Faced with a lifetime of lily pads and eating flies (, or worse; frog legs are delicious), she sets out to find a cure along with her pals, an alligator and a Cajun firefly.

Some critics have charged that the movie, which will be released in December, promotes racial stereotyping and that Princess Tianas skin color is too light. Blackburn, however,reserves some of his vitriol for the New Orleans backdrop, telling the London Telegraph, For one, this princess' story is set in New Orleans, the setting of one of the most devastating tragedies to beset a black community.

Im no Disney apologist, Ive never even been to Disney World, but isnt this going too far? Blackburn is absolutely correct: our city and our people did experience a devastating tragedy and we will never forget what happened on those horrific days in late August 2005 and the following months and years. But, Mr. Blackburn, despite New Orleans continuing societal ills  extreme poverty, racism and a short supply of decent public schools, to name just a few  this city can be and has long been a place of beauty. Yes, the federal flood has forever changed New Orleans, but we have moved forward and our city shouldnt only be recalled in sadness, or known simply as a place of tragedy.